The
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has traced N3.145bn transferred to the
private accounts of some members of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential
Campaign Organisation.
According
to detectives at the EFCC, the money emanated from the account of the Central
Bank of Nigeria and was transferred to the account of a company, Joint
Dimensions Limited, and then sent to various accounts.
Authorities
of the anti-graft commission said out of the money, the Director of Publicity
of the organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, received N840m.
According
to the documents sighted by our correspondent, the money was deposited into
Fani-Kayode’s Zenith bank account, Maitama Branch with number 1004735721 on
February 19, 2015.
The
detectives said a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and
National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Chief Olu Falae, received
N100m through a company, Marreco Limited, where he is chairman. The fund was
credited into the company’s United Bank for Africa Plc account number
1000627022 on March 25, 2014.
According
to the documents, N320m was also paid into the bank account of the Goodluck
Support Group, an association which played a major role in Jonathan’s campaign.
A
former Governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa, and a former Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs, Viola Onwuliri, according to the documents, got N350m in two
tranches. The first tranche of N150m was paid into their joint account with
Zenith bank on January 13, 2015. The second tranche of N200m was credited into
their account with Diamond bank.
A
source at the anti-graft agency who pleaded not to be named because he is not
authorised to speak said, “The money was paid by the Central Bank of Nigeria
into the account of the Ministry of External Affairs Library, from where it was
moved into the account of Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited.
“It
was from the Joint Dimension’s account with Zenith bank that the money was
shared to various individuals and organisations for purposes that are not
stated.
“Fani-Kayode
was the chief beneficiary of the disbursement as he allegedly received a
whooping N840m, paid in three tranches into his Zenith bank, Maitama branch
account with number 1004735721.
“The
first tranche of payment involving N350m hit the account on February 19, 2015.
Another N250m was also paid into the account on February19, 2015 while N240m
was similarly credited to the account a month later; precisely, March 19, 2015.
“The
balance in this account as of December 31, 2015 was N189, 402.72.”
The
detectives added that the Director of Finance of the campaign organisation,
Nenadi Usman, also got N36.9m through her Zenith bank account with number
1000158311 on 7, Kachia Road, Kaduna.
Presidential
Campaign Coordinator of President Goodluck Jonathan in Anambra State, Chief
Okey Ezenwa, who is also the brother-in-law to a former Rivers State Governor,
Chief Peter Odili, also got N100m, according to the source.
He
added, “But as things stand, the fact that most of the payments were made in
the weeks preceding the last presidential elections leaves very little to the
imagination. Yet, one knotty question that confronts the investigators is the unknown
figure behind Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited and the account where the
money was warehoused before being wired to sundry beneficiaries. The shadowy
figure could help unravel the mystery shrouding the payments, once the veil is
lifted.”
However,
Fani-Kayode while speaking on the telephone said that he never received money
from the CBN.
Rather,
he said the monies that were spent were received from Usman who was the
director of finance of the campaign organisation.
The
former Minister of Aviation said he never spent government funds but was told
by Usman that the monies were sourced from private donations.
He
said, “I served as the director of publicity and I was told to set up an
account for the directorate, which I did. I never received money from the CBN
but like all the other directors, we received money from the director of
finance.
“I
was assured that the monies were not public funds but were sourced from private
individuals. I never knowingly spent government money all through. The monies
were spent specifically on the campaigns. The accounts were audited and we were
commended by the President.”
All
attempts to get Usman proved abortive as her phone indicated that it was
switched off.
Similarly,
the phone number of Falae indicated that it was switched off when when an
attempt to reach him for comment.
However,
the former SGF had said he received money to campaign for Jonathan through a
former Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih
When
contacted on the telephone, Udenwa said that he never received any money as he
did not even operate a Zenith bank account.
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